Oral-Formulaic Theory: Annotated Bibliography

Francis P. Magoun, Jr. "Recurring First Elements in Different Nominal Compounds in Beowulf and in the Elder Edda." In Studies in English Philology: A Miscellany in Honor of Frederick Klaeber. Ed. Kemp Malone and Martin B. Ruud. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 73-78.

In an important article that presages oral-formulaic theory as presented in his classic 1953a, he studies the role of alliterating first elements of compounds in the structure of OE and ON poetry. Suggests that a thorough investigation of this technique could lead to a better understanding of compositional practice.
Area: OE, ON, CP